The Los Angeles Lakers are trying to find a 'peaceful, mutual parting' with head coach Mike D'Antoni, with some sources saying that the front office does not want to fire the coach who still has a year left on his contract.
Per Mitch Lawrence of NY Daily Times: "It doesn't appear as if D'Antoni will survive and make it to next season."
According to the columnist, his sources have told him that the Lakers front office don't want to fire D'Antoni but hope that the coach would be hired by another team. Should that happen, the Lakers will be freed from the burden of firing another coach in just 17 months after now Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown was dismissed in November 2012.
Of course, the problem is that the Lakers aren't sure if there is any team in the league interested in signing D'Antoni, who was also fired by the New York Knicks before going to LA.
D'Antoni has proven to be helpless this season with injuries to key players Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. With their loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, the Lakers set a franchise-worst 54 losses.
Lawrence also speculates that the franchise could then make a move to hire either Bryon Scott or assistant coach Kurt Rambis, both of whom played with the Lakers in the '80s. Sources indicate that either Rambis or Scott would get the approval from Bryant, who still has two more years left in his contract.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, who was resigned to a multi-year extension last week, is also said to be supportive of the idea to let go of D'Antoni believing that the latter has not utilized big man Pau Gasol properly aside from having no interest in teaching defense to his players.
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